1781 Admiral Rodney / Capture of Saint Eustatius Medal. Betts-580, Liechty-9. White metal, 35 mm. MS-63 (PCGS). 275.8 grains. Another extremely elusive Admiral Rodney / Saint Eustatius medal. Lustrous bright silver gray with minimal mellowing of the surfaces. Sharply detailed and very attractive, free of all but the most minor marks and showing no corrosion or pest. This is a very rare medal. LaRivieres was not quite as nice as this but brought $1,840 to a savvy English dealer in 2001. This piece brought less, $1,035, when it was sold in the 2006 Ford sale. Since that time, we see only four auction appearances worldwide: a low grade piece in a group lot at Baldwins in 2012, a nice NGC MS-63 that brought $528 at Heritage in January 2014, a slightly cleaned but pleasing one that brought $660 at Heritage in 2019, and the AU John Adams specimen that brought $3,290 in our November 2015 sale. From the Richard Margolis Collection. Earlier from A.H. Baldwin & Sons, London, June 1967; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part XIV, May 2006, lot 238.
